

<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN">

<html>
<head>
<script type="text/javascript" src="helpman_topicinit.js"></script>

<title>Use [Enterprise Architect User Guide]</title>

<meta name="keywords" content="Enterprise Architect, Sparx Systems, UML, Connector,Connector Use,Connector Usage,Use,Use Connector,Use Relationship,Relationship,Relationship Use,Relationship Usage,Usage,Usage Connector,Usage Relationship">
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1" />
<meta http-equiv="Content-Style-Type" content="text/css" />

<link type="text/css" href="default.css" rel="stylesheet" />
<style type="text/css">
  A, A:Visited
  {
    color: #00F;
  }

  A:Active, A:Hover
  {
    color: #F00;
  }

  OL
  {
    margin: 5px 0 5px 48px;
  }

  UL
  {
    margin-bottom: 3px;
    margin-top: 0;
  }

  #nsr
  {
    background-color: #D4DFFF;
  }

  #nsr A
  {
    text-decoration: none;
  }

  #mainbody
  {
    padding: 8px;
  }

  .p_BodyText
  {
    padding: 5px 0;
  }
</style>



<style type="text/css" media="screen">
  BODY
  {
    background-color: #FFFFFF;
  }

  #nsr
  {
    padding: 6px 6px 0 6px;
    border-bottom: none;
    vertical-align: top;
    z-index: 2;
    visibility: visible;
    left: 0;
    top: 0;
    position: absolute;
  }

  #mainbody
  {
    left: 0;
    top: 0;
    margin: 0;
    position: absolute;
    padding: 10px;
    overflow: auto;
    height: 100%;
    z-index: 1;
    background-repeat: no-repeat;
    background-position: bottom right;
    background-attachment: fixed;
  }
</style>

<style type="text/css" media="print">
  #nsr
  {
    visibility: none;
  }

  #mainbody
  {
    overflow: visible;
  }
</style>
<script type="text/javascript" language="JavaScript" src="nonscroll.js"></script>

</head>
<body scroll="no">

<div id="page">



        <div id="content">
          <div id="content-inner">
          



  
          <div id="nsr">
            <table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="4" width="100%">
              <tr valign="top">
                <td align="left">
  


                  <p class="p_Heading1"><span class="f_Heading1">Use</span></p>



  
                </td>
                <td align="right">
                  <a href="introduction.htm" onmouseover="document.images.main.src='button_main_h.gif'" onmouseout="document.images.main.src='button_main.gif'">
                    <img name="main" src="button_main.gif" border=0 alt="Return to Introduction">
                  </a>&nbsp;
    
                  <a href="transition.htm" onmouseover="document.images.prev.src='button_prev_h.gif'" onmouseout="document.images.prev.src='button_prev.gif'">
                    <img name=prev src="button_prev.gif" border=0 alt="Previous page" />
                  </a>&nbsp;
    
    
    
                  <a href="licencemanagement.htm" onmouseover="document.images.next.src='button_next_h.gif'" onmouseout="document.images.next.src='button_next.gif'">
                    <img name=next src="button_next.gif" border=0 alt="Next page" />
                  </a>
    
    
                </td>
              </tr>
            </table>
          </div>
          <div id="mainbody">
  


                <p class="p_TextIndentedL2"><img src="d_use.png" width="233" height="105" border="0" alt="d_Use"></p>
<p class="p_BodyText"><span class="f_BodyText">A </span><span class="f_BodyText" style="font-style: italic;">Use</span><span class="f_BodyText"> relationship</span><span class="f_BodyText"> indicates that one element requires another to perform some interaction. The Use (or </span><span class="f_BodyText" style="font-style: italic;">Usage</span><span class="f_BodyText">) relationship does not specify how the target supplier is used, other than that the source client uses it in definition or implementation. A Use relationship is a sub-typed <a href="dependency.htm">Dependency</a> relationship.</span></p>
<p class="p_BodyText"><span class="f_BodyText">You typically use the Use relationship in <a href="usecasediagram.htm">Use Case diagrams</a> to model how <a href="actor.htm">Actors</a> use system functionality (<a href="usecase.htm">Use Cases</a>), or to illustrate usage dependencies between <a href="class.htm">Classes</a> or <a href="component.htm">Components</a>.</span></p>
<div style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 0px; margin: 5px 0px 5px 13px;"><table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" border="0" style="border: none; border-spacing:0px;">
<tr style="text-align:left;vertical-align:bottom;">
<td valign="bottom" width="955" bgcolor="#efeff7" style="width:955px; background-color:#efeff7;"><p class="p_TiporNote" style="border-top: none; border-right: none; border-left: none;"><span class="f_TiporNote">Notes:</span></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="text-align:left;">
<td width="955" bgcolor="#f7f7ff" style="width:955px; background-color:#f7f7ff;"><ul style="text-indent: 0px; margin-left: 14px; list-style-position: outside;">
<li><span class="f_TiporNoteText">It is more usual (and correct UML) to have an <a href="associate.htm">Association Connector</a> between an Actor and a Use Case.</span></li>
<li><span class="f_TiporNoteText">To depict a usage dependency on a <a href="classdiagram.htm">Class</a> or <a href="componentdiagram.htm">Component</a> diagram, draw a </span><span class="f_TiporNoteText" style="font-style: italic;">Dependency</span><span class="f_TiporNoteText"> connector. Right-click on the Dependency, and select the </span><span class="f_MenuKeyField">Dependency Stereotypes | Use</span><span class="f_TiporNoteText"> menu option.</span></li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
</div>
<p class="p_SubHeadingL1"><span class="f_SubHeadingL1">Toolbar Icon</span></p>
<p class="p_TextIndentedL2"><img src="c_use.png" width="168" height="21" border="0" alt="c_use"></p>
<p class="p_SubHeadingL1"><span class="f_SubHeadingL1">OMG UML Specification</span></p>
<p class="p_BodyText"><span class="f_BodyText">The OMG UML specification (</span><span class="f_BodyText" style="font-style: italic;">UML Superstructure Specification, v2.1.1, p. 138</span><span class="f_BodyText">) states:</span></p>
<p class="p_OMGText"><span class="f_OMGText">A usage is a relationship in which one element requires another element (or set of elements) for its full implementation or operation. In the metamodel, a Usage is a Dependency in which the client requires the presence of the supplier.</span></p>




            </div>
          </div>
        </div>



</div>


</body>
</html>
